Recruiting
The recruiting process is a lesson in marketing. While many athletes and families tend to be reactive and passive in the recruiting process, we highly recommend a proactive approach.
Recruiting FAQ
A: High school prospects need to call and/or email college coaches to start a relationship with any coaches and schools that they are interested in. Be persistent, but not a pest. Call and/or email maybe every few weeks with updates on your season, but don’t overdo it.
- Here is a recommended sample email
- Here are some ideas about what to say/message to a college coach
- Here are some ways to start a conversation via Twitter
You can find coaches' names and contact info on the school websites. You can also call the football office and ask a secretary for the Special Teams Coach or Recruiting Coordinator.
Did you know that Michigan didn’t recruit Tom Brady until he sent his skills tape to their coaches? UM Recruiting Coordinator Billy Harris said “I didn’t have him on my radar until the film showed up on my desk. Had he not sent me that film, who knows what would have happened?”
A: The recruiting process continues to evolve. Strategies that worked 10 years ago don’t have the same results that they once did. It is VITAL to put together a highlight video that showcases your talent/potential and upload it to YouTube or a similar hosting website. We’ve seen the best results with the videos that we create/edit from our Kornblue Showcase events. At every Kornblue Showcase event, PSI Videos will professionally film every FG, punt, kickoff, and long snap (the PSI Video team has staff working full-time for the Miami Dolphins, Miami Hurricanes, and several other major programs). If you perform well, you will have high-definition YouTube footage to present to colleges and universities. CLICK HERE to view a sample Kornblue Showcase YouTube video. We create/edit these videos for only $100. It is not necessary to use us to create videos, but IT IS necessary to have high-quality videos in order to maximize your recruiting.
A: The video should have the best stuff first and it should not be more than 5 minutes long. If your most impressive highlight is a kickoff through the uprights, put that first. If it’s a long-distance or game-winning FG, put that first. College coaches receive hundreds of highlight videos each year. You need to give them a reason to keep watching your video by impressing them right away. Eliminate PAT’s and extra film time (taking steps back on kickoffs, running off the field, etc). The more often a highlight video is updated, the better. And it won’t hurt to create multiple videos.
A: The Fab 50 is our national ranking of the top 50 kickers, punters, and snappers who have attended our camps/events. It is our primary method of promoting athletes in the recruiting process. Those who perform the best at our Kornblue Showcase and Fab 50 camps are recognized in the Fab 50. We only need to see someone once in order to be eligible to be ranked. However, seeing an athlete multiple times is beneficial because it provides a more complete picture of an athlete’s ability, instead of just a snapshot.
Our communication with college coaches is open and transparent. If an athlete performs well at any of our events, we make sure recruiters know about it. The Fab 50 is actively promoted to college coaches and annually helps dozens of kickers, punters, and snappers receive college scholarships. We promote via Twitter, Facebook, email, phone calls, and face-to-face interactions year-round.
Fab 50 alumni have received scholarships to every major Division 1 conference in the country and have been selected to the nation’s top all-star games. It’s important to understand that it’s our desire to help as many specialists as possible, but we can only promote and help the athletes we’ve seen.
A: Sometimes, playing JUCO or sitting out a year is the right move. A JUCO head coach explained three examples of athletes who might consider the JUCO route. CLICK HERE to read the post.
